Tapped Out from the Carrizo Plain
Mar. 17th, 2026 04:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerWildflower Travelog #9
Santa Maria, CA · Fri, 13 Mar 2026. 4:30pm.
I'll cut straight to it: We tapped out today. After a fun 4x4 drive up into the mountains above Carrizo Plain where we saw lots of wildflowers, we headed to the southern end of the park. Our intent was to explore more wildflower blooms in areas only reachable with 4x4. But the park road itself is primitive, with miles of gravel or hard-pack dirt surface instead of broken pavement. By the time we got to the southern end and were ready to do some real offroading, we were spent. The park road bounced us around too much, we'd already seen a bunch of wildflowers, and I was starting to question how many hours of energy I'd have left. Sure, we could stay over another night, but all things considered I preferred being able to get home tonight.
Thus from the southern end of the park we tapped out and decided to head home. Ironically the fastest way to get home would've been to drive back through the park. But, ugh, we didn't have the energy for that. So we took the long way around from the south, heading west on Hwy. 166. At least it was a little pocket of California we'd never seen before, the Cuyama Valley. Road trip!
Once out at Hwy. 101 on the Central Coast we took a slight detour south to get an early dinner in Santa Maria. That's where we are now. But no, we're not at some little hole-in-the-wall shop famous for its eponymous Santa Maria tri-tip. We're at Golden Corral. 🤣
No, Golden Corral is not gourmet dining. We're not gourmands, anyway. Golden Corral is dirty pleasure of ours. But it does have its pluses. As a buffet restaurant it's a) instant gratification and b) almost certain to have a few good choices each of us likes among its dozens of choices. Oh, and c) unlike fast food alternatives both of us could actually get servings of real, tasty vegetables on our plates. Plus, it's been almost a year since we last ate at a Golden Corral.
The good news is, from here, it's a straight shot home, 3.5 hours up US 101. With a stop for gas on the way we'll be home a bit after 8pm. And I won't be worried about driving while tired and whether we should stop for the night instead of getting home to our own bed.
Santa Maria, CA · Fri, 13 Mar 2026. 4:30pm.
I'll cut straight to it: We tapped out today. After a fun 4x4 drive up into the mountains above Carrizo Plain where we saw lots of wildflowers, we headed to the southern end of the park. Our intent was to explore more wildflower blooms in areas only reachable with 4x4. But the park road itself is primitive, with miles of gravel or hard-pack dirt surface instead of broken pavement. By the time we got to the southern end and were ready to do some real offroading, we were spent. The park road bounced us around too much, we'd already seen a bunch of wildflowers, and I was starting to question how many hours of energy I'd have left. Sure, we could stay over another night, but all things considered I preferred being able to get home tonight.
Thus from the southern end of the park we tapped out and decided to head home. Ironically the fastest way to get home would've been to drive back through the park. But, ugh, we didn't have the energy for that. So we took the long way around from the south, heading west on Hwy. 166. At least it was a little pocket of California we'd never seen before, the Cuyama Valley. Road trip!
Once out at Hwy. 101 on the Central Coast we took a slight detour south to get an early dinner in Santa Maria. That's where we are now. But no, we're not at some little hole-in-the-wall shop famous for its eponymous Santa Maria tri-tip. We're at Golden Corral. 🤣
No, Golden Corral is not gourmet dining. We're not gourmands, anyway. Golden Corral is dirty pleasure of ours. But it does have its pluses. As a buffet restaurant it's a) instant gratification and b) almost certain to have a few good choices each of us likes among its dozens of choices. Oh, and c) unlike fast food alternatives both of us could actually get servings of real, tasty vegetables on our plates. Plus, it's been almost a year since we last ate at a Golden Corral.
The good news is, from here, it's a straight shot home, 3.5 hours up US 101. With a stop for gas on the way we'll be home a bit after 8pm. And I won't be worried about driving while tired and whether we should stop for the night instead of getting home to our own bed.
no subject
Date: 2026-03-18 08:10 am (UTC)I wonder if that's a Google Maps artifact, that it doesn't understand you can get to 166 from where you were?
no subject
Date: 2026-03-18 04:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-03-18 05:19 pm (UTC)3.5 hours isn't too bad. It is always nice to get back to your own bed, especially at a reasonable time, after a trip. It sounds (and looks) like it was a great one!
no subject
Date: 2026-03-18 05:48 pm (UTC)I agree, it's a bit surprising Golden Corral is still around. A lot of buffets shut down during Covid and never came back. GC seems to be doing well, though. A quick search says there are over 400 GCs in the US.